The Association of Artist Managers (AAM) has announced the anticipated return of their flagship mentoring program Co-Pilot for another year, with applications opening Thursday 27 July, 2023.
Delivered in partnership with Spotify and MMF Aotearoa, and running from November 2023 – April 2024, the program will support 10 early-mid career music artist managers, with 8 AAM members from Australia and 2 MMF Aotearoa members from New Zealand being selected for this year’s program.
Artist managers are creative entrepreneurs, and amongst the most nimble creative business leaders that Australia and Aotearoa produces. They’re the CEO of the artist’s business, required to demonstrate skill, agility and leadership across all facets of the artist’s creative and business endeavours, nurturing diverse pathways and income streams to support thriving careers for artists. In today’s climate, managers must be prepared to pursue, develop and manage global careers for their artists, and the disruption of the pandemic years has only accelerated changes in how artists and their managers are approaching all facets of an artist’s career.
The AAM’s core vision for Co-Pilot is to strengthen the management sector and promote sustainable career growth for this next generation of creative entrepreneurs. Co-Pilot provides selected participants with access to essential peer-to-peer mentoring, professional development, networking opportunities and the latest industry-relevant information, supporting them as they navigate changes in the music industry and the next steps in their careers.
Backed by the invaluable support of Spotify, the AAM - Australia's peak body for Australian contemporary music managers - is uniquely equipped to lead with experience and expertise, guiding this next generation of managers to upskill, update and re-future their businesses and those of their artists.
The Co-Pilot program will kick off with a 2 day, in-person workshop series at Spotify offices in Sydney/Eora on Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd November, 2023 (flights, accommodation and catering at workshops provided), and will be followed by peer-to-peer mentoring, one-on-one sessions with a Spotify team member, online professional development webinars and more, between November 2023 and April 2024. Upon completion of the program, participants will each receive a $1500 AUD bursary to support their career and professional development.
Applications for Co-Pilot 2023 are now closed.
See details below for full program details, key dates and activities, eligibility criteria and a link to apply.
Please note: Australian applicants must be members of the AAM - and New Zealand applicants members of the MMF Aotearoa - to apply, as well as meeting other eligibility criteria.
Application Timeline:
Applications Open ⏤ Thursday 27 July, 2023
Applications Close ⏤ Wednesday 30 August, 2023 (midnight AEST)
Applicants notified of outcome ⏤ w/c Monday 18 September, 2023
Program Key Dates 2023-2024:
Participants must be able to attend the following activities on the scheduled dates to be eligible for this program, most importantly the in-person workshop days (full days) on Wed 22 Nov + Thur 23 Nov, 2023.
(For those activities below that say ‘Various dates’, please note that these will be scheduled once the 10 program participants are selected. The AAM will consult participants on their availabilities for these activities, to ensure they can attend on the determined date/time.)
IN-PERSON WORKSHOP DAYS (2 DAYS):
Wed 22 Nov + Thur 23 Nov, 2023: A 2-day, in-person intensive workshop series at Spotify offices in Sydney/Eora, which will comprise group activities and discussions, resource sharing, guest speakers and more. Flights, accommodation and catered lunch will be paid for.
ONE-ON-ONE MENTORING:
Various dates between November 27, 2023 - April 10, 2024: Each participant will undertake 4 x 1 hour mentoring sessions (one per month) with their senior manager mentor. Mentee and mentor pairs will be responsible for scheduling their own mentoring sessions, to be held on dates/times that suits both parties between Nov 27, 2023 - April 10, 2024. These sessions can be in-person or virtual.
ONE-ON-ONE’S WITH SPOTIFY:
Various dates between November 27, 2023 - April 10, 2024: Each participant will have 2 x 45 min one-on-one sessions with a Spotify team representative - an initial session, plus a subsequent follow-up session to report back on actions implemented based on their initial consultation.
ONLINE WORKSHOPS:
Various dates between January - March 2024: Participants will participate in 3 x 1 hour virtual professional development group workshops with industry experts in their field. Workshop topics will be determined based on participants preferred topics. These are scheduled to take place during the following weeks (exact times TBC):
Workshop 1: Week commencing Jan 29, 2024
Workshop 2: Week commencing Feb 19, 2024
Workshop 3: Week commencing March 4, 2024
CLOSING GROUP WORKSHOP:
Thursday 11 April, 2024: The closing group virtual workshop will be an opportunity for Co-Pilot participants to come together to reflect upon their learnings, takeaways and any outcomes, and share their insights and feedback, following their involvement in the program.
Eligibility:
8 AAM and 2 MMF Aotearoa members will be selected to participate in the 2023/24 Co-Pilot program, through a competitive application process. Applications will be assessed by a review panel, in conjunction with the AAM and MMF Aotearoa.
In their application, successful applicants will be able to:
Demonstrate a suitable level of management / industry experience, along with sufficient current and upcoming career activity, that indicates they will benefit from this program
Articulate how the various activities in this program will support their professional development needs
Define outcomes they’re seeking through this program
Articulate their career goals for the upcoming 12-24 months
Demonstrate enthusiasm and a commitment to this program
To be eligible for the 2023/24 Co-Pilot program, applicants must:
Be a currently active artist manager. (Please note: Self-managed artists who only manage their own project are not eligible to apply for this program. If you are a self-managing artist who also manages other act(s) in addition to your own project, you are welcome to apply, if you meet other eligibility criteria also.)
Be a current member of the AAM (Australian applicants) or MMF Aotearoa (NZ applicants)
Be available to participate in all program activities
NZ applicants must have a valid passport
Please note that participants from the 2022 Co-Pilot Program are ineligible to apply for this 2023/24 round
"Spotify is proud to extend the AAM Co-Pilot program partnership into its third year to provide intimate tailored mentoring to upskill the next generation of artist managers in Australia and New Zealand. Artist managers are at the heart of the music industry; they're negotiators, advisors, strategists, creatives and confidantes. By empowering the next crop of artist managers with in-depth insights into their artist's Spotify for Artists data, goal setting and much-needed bursaries to kickstart their businesses, they will be better equipped to tackle the challenges of a modern artist manager. The entire music industry benefits from the Co-Pilot program and I am proud to see what previous graduates have achieved already."
— Jono Harrison, Spotify Australia + New Zealand Artist and Label Partnerships Lead.
"Being immersed in a consistent ongoing dialogue with other managers during this trip is one of the strongest assets the Co-Pilot program offers. Management is the only role in the music industry which intersects with all areas of the artist's business and this can result in shorter mentoring sessions feeling unproductive and limiting for the professional development of the participants. This trip, combined with mentoring sessions over several months, allows a focus on having many discussions which reflect the experience and ambitions of the mentees and is an invaluable way to share insights consistent with their long term development goals."
- Jess Keeley (Music, She Wrote) - 2022 Mentor
“Co-Pilot was a really great way to connect with other managers and develop a sense of community around a role that can often feel isolating. It was great to take the time to review how the industry had changed in a post-pandemic landscape and how we could best adapt.”
- Elise Naismith (Lemon Tree Music) - 2022 Australian Participant
“It was an honour to have been a part of a program that is dedicated to up-skilling music managers. Music managers are crucial to the industry but are often left to their own devices. I think it’s an important program to exist.”
- Diaz Grimm (G7NG) - 2022 Aotearoa Participant
“It's always helpful for managers to be able to speak openly and honestly with other people who may have walked in their shoes. The job is typically quite solitary and usually requires people to 'put on a brave face' so it's useful to have a formal but private opportunity for more open discussions.”
- John Watson (Eleven Music / JWM) - 2022 Mentor
Contact Details:
Lorraine Owen (lorraine.owen@mmf.co.nz) - Manager, Operations - MMF Aotearoa
